Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

People are weird.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

In my day, never was longer.

“woke” is the new caravan.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Tick tock motherfuckers!

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Reader Interactions

335Comments

  2. 2.

    trollhattan

    Fog. We have fog for the first time in…? A year? Can’t recall, but it was once a Central Valley staple, closing airports and rendering highway travel an exercise in controlled terror.

  3. 3.

    NaijaGal

    I almost had a heart attack watching that game! I really hate it when it goes to penalties :(.

    On a different note, here’s a gift article from the Washington Post – their     guide to using Mastodon. 

    The UK version of my book is coming out January 19, so I still have to maintain a Twitter presence (to retweet the publisher, Trapeze Books). That’s if I don’t get suspended for having my Mastodon handle in my Twitter profile first.

  4. 4.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    The Starlink Snowflake has now banned users of Twitter from posting about whether they have alternate social media accounts on Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, et cetera. The announcement starts off with the sanctimonious statement that “Twitter is where the conversation is happening.”

  6. 6.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @MattF: But you had the link, which I didn’t. So your contribution is arguably significantly more valuable than my own.

  9. 9.

    mali muso

    Really enjoying this holiday season with my widget who is now 6 years old and so much fun!  Old enough to participate in things like making and decorating cookies, doing crafts, “decorating” the house, and wrapping gifts.  I’m trying to be in the moment as much as I can and do soak up all of the goodness.  She’s our one and done kiddo, so these memories seem extra precious as they will not happen again.

  12. 12.

    ian

    I have thoughts that I have been juggling around in my few brain cells for a couple days- how do we as consumers manage the boycotting of products and services that engage in unethical/questionable behavior?  To me, this seems one of pressing and yet unaddressed issues of our time.  The products/services in question range from great to small.

    Some big ones: Russian energy, environmentally destructive products and fuels, goods made in sweatshops/slave labor conditions…

    Some medium sized ones: products that advertise on Fox News, Twitter, and so forth, companies that continue to donate to people who participated in Jan 6th…

    Smaller ones: goods and services offered by companies whose workers are on strike (recent examples: Starbucks, use of NYT when they went on 1 day strike)

    How do we spread the word to people that some of their favorite products and services are causing human suffering and exploitation?  And how do we organize collectively around getting consumers to avoid these products?  Would this strategy be effective?  How would we message to people that their consumption habits should change in order to modify corporate behaviors?

    I don’t have any good answers to these questions, nor do I expect there is one simple answer, but it seems to me that a real problem in our world is that companies and organizations engage in some seriously unethical/self-serving behavior and there is rarely pushback from consumers of their products.

    If we as consumers don’t have the solidarity to avoid Russian energy, or sweatshop clothing, or a World Cup made possible by slave labor, or avoid drinking a Starbucks when baristas are on strike, or avoid wordle when the people who do the grunt work at the NYT ask us to not do it for one day- what message do we as a society send to the organizations that engage in negative behavior?

    Sorry that was really long- it is something I have been thinking about without getting a good answer for a hot minute.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    @mali muso: The time is precious and it’s good to enjoy it now, before the eye-rolling starts!  :-)

    It was eye-opening when my beloved nieces started the eye-rolling.  One minute they were my sweet girls, the next it was like the exorcist and someone else took over, the next they were my sweet girls again.

    Once I knew it was coming it wasn’t so shocking! :-)

    But for now you get to experience the joy of Christmas through little girl eyes.  I am envious.

  18. 18.

    MattF

    @NaijaGal: I agree that the first, required step is to find a server. Otherwise it’s just finding your way around a decentralized maze. I’ve tried Post— everyone there is so nice and so kind. So, back to Mastodon, which is merely complex and confusing.

  20. 20.

    Alison Rose

    Hopefully I can comment here without a bunch of bigoted classism and ableism being thrown at me. Love being told I don’t matter because I’m not rich and have disabilities. We got some lovely people here!!!!!!!!

    (ETA: We do in fact have many lovely people here. And also some absolute wastes of skin.)

  23. 23.

    FelonyGovt

    We went to a hockey game last night and it went to a shoot-out (fortunately my team won). I felt like I was at a soccer game.

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Alison Rose:

    I pied him — I assume it’s a “him” — when he first started race-farting in your general direction. Judging by all the pastries adorning the comments, I made the right call.

  27. 27.

    mali muso

    @eclare: @WaterGirl:  Yes, I figure I have a few years before the eye-rolling phase and I’m trying to cram in all the fuzzy feel good times. Indeed, 6 year old magic is pretty special.

    @ian: I’ve thought about this a lot as well.  I love World Cup soccer, but I did not watch a single minute of the coverage this year (not to begrudge those who did). I try to make sure not to use my purchasing power, such as it is, to support obviously evil places (Walmart, hobby lobby, etc.) but does it make a difference?   The other day when my kiddo and I were driving by a Papa John’s, she asked me “is that the pizza from the bad man?” because I had told her that we don’t buy pizza from that store as the owner is a mean selfish man who doesn’t want to his sick employees to be able to see the doctor.  Hopefully I’m raising her right. lol

  28. 28.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @WaterGirl: I was under the impression that his purpose was to define what constitutes free speech in the 21st century, namely any sort of vomitous spewing that entertains his overinflated ego and doesn’t hurt his precious feelings.

  29. 29.

    Scout211

    Open thread: On a personal note, Mr.Scout is undergoing monthly injections into his left eye to try to save what vision he has left in that eye due to wet macular degeneration. The eye doctor practically jumped for joy when the scans and acuity tests came back with some improvement after the first injection. He said that happens in less than 15% of patients. Most patients see no improvement, just a slowing of the progression. Spouse is now seeing 20/50 in that eye with corrective lenses. Before the injection, all he saw were shadows. We are very hopeful.

    He has also had cataract surgery and two surgical procedures for glaucoma in the past couple of years. The ophthalmologist we have is  just awesome. It’s been a slog, though.

  31. 31.

    NaijaGal

    @MattF: I’ve been reluctant to try Post because it has another billionaire backer and initially tried to make net worth a protected topic (I may be misinterpreting that).

    Mastodon can be confusing as hell for new users but I’m really liking it now that more Twitter users have migrated over (thanks Major Major Major Major for introducing me to the Fediverse right here on Balloon Juice).

  32. 32.

    different-church-lady

    @mali muso: It does feel like it’s gotten to the point where I can’t buy anything from any company without thinking, “I wonder what they’ve done wrong..”

  33. 33.

    RandomMonster

    Today I feel like I’m mostly over a week-long nasty headcold. I’m going to celebrate by making lo mein tonight.

  36. 36.

    ian

    @mali muso: Yes Papa John’s is terrible, good work on that!  That jerk spends way too much fighting the minimum wage.  Here is a fun article for any readers who don’t know the dirty history of Papa Johns

  37. 37.

    eclare

    @mali muso:   Sounds like you are passing on good values!

    For me the eye-rolling started when I was around thirteen and lasted til I went away to college, so enjoy the munchkin!

  39. 39.

    mrmoshpotato

    In real football news, the Bears are only down by 3 right now.  Surprised that the Eagles aren’t blowing them out.

  41. 41.

    MattF

    @NaijaGal: Yeah, same here. I think Mastodon is extra-good if you find a server that specializes in some particular interest. The bird site is still best at general-purpose doomscrolling.

  42. 42.

    gene108

    @WaterGirl:

    It was eye-opening when my beloved nieces started the eye-rolling. One minute they were my sweet girls, the next it was like the exorcist and someone else took over, the next they were my sweet girls again.

    My nephew’s a college freshman and my niece is in high school. They’re still in the humans older than teenagers can be strange phase.

    I remember Christmas when they were around 6 years old. They were so excited, their joy was infectious.

  45. 45.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @ian: Did you watch The Good Place? a major theme was how damn hard it is to be a good person due to unintended consequences of even would-be virtuous acts. But fun to watch.

  46. 46.

    bjacques

    Why do I get the feeling Emo personally supervised the wording of that particular policy. I get the impression (I’ve done no research) that Twitter’s is by now just him and a remnant of demoralized employees. I suppose there could be a few Mini-Mes slotted into middle management, but I’d expect anyone with even that much personality, however toxically aligned, would eventually run afoul of His Majesty The Baby and get the boot.

     

    ETA: As I recall, Papa John wanted to raise the price of his pizzas by 20 cents but the added cost of Obama was just 5 cents.

  48. 48.

    mali muso

    On the topic of promoting our values through our purchases, does anyone have any last minute suggestions for small vendor gifts that I could order in time for holiday delivery?  Isn’t there a jackal who sells (sold?) soap?  I’m baking and making most of my gifts for local friends but wanted to send something small to my mom in South Carolina.

  53. 53.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @bjacques: heh, Emo. Better than Elmo and would probably hurt his feelings even more. We’re probably about a week out from his own Rambo-shopped NFTs

  55. 55.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl: If a teen girl isn’t eye-rolling then a psych eval is called for.

    The teen boys meanwhile will be off playing “punch my balls.”

  57. 57.

    pluky

    @Alison Rose: I presume the moderator has purged the offending post since I can’t see to what you refer. In any event, love and kisses! Don’t let the bastards get you down.

  58. 58.

    eclare

    @bjacques:  My recollection was that health care for employees would add .25 to each pizza which he refused to do.

    Either way, a shitty person whose product should be avoided.

  59. 59.

    NaijaGal

    @bjacques: A whole lot of H-1B visa holding employees who have to work for him, knowing that losing their job at Twitter means they have to find a new one within three months or face deportation. My definition of hell (I’ve been a dependent of someone on an H-1B visa).

  61. 61.

    trollhattan

    @Scout211: That’s great. Mom, after losing considerable vision to glaucoma than got macular degeneration (because the fates determined one can’t have too much vision loss). MD was not controllable then, even a little, and it’s gratifying that it’s possible to slow and even perhaps reverse it now. For the person suffering, any hope is huge.

  63. 63.

    WaterGirl

    @pluky: I don’t believe that anything has been deleted.  I don’t believe the person was aware of any disabilities.  But there were also no apologies after being made aware.

  64. 64.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @eclare: best Papa John event was watching Willard Romney in full self-parody toff mode extol the virtues of the Papa John Estate “What a house! What a pool! What grounds!” I’d bet when he and The Lady Ann got back in the limo he said, “Well, that decor was bit… heavy-handed, don’t you think?” “NOKD, dear, but new money pays for ads, too”

  65. 65.

    trollhattan

    @WaterGirl: Mine runs. In college! :-)

    She’s mostly recovered from being a teen and so help me, turns 21 at month’s end. And just how did that happen.

  66. 66.

    West of the Rockies

    Open thread, so I’ll ask:  has anyone else watched The Peripheral?  I’m four episodes in.  I want to like it.  But I’m finding it to be… very dark, rather talky,  and a bit slow.  Also, it has more villainous mustache twirling and toxic masculinity than I like.

    Does it pick up?  Anyone have any thoughts or differences of opinion?

  69. 69.

    raven

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The best Papa John event was “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”!

     

    With

    \\

    Papa John Creach – electric violin, vocals
    Greg Adams – trumpet on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”
    Rufus Anderson – guitar on “Human Spring”
    Jack Bonus – saxophone on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac” and “St. Louis Blues”
    Nick Buck – piano on “Papa John’s Down Home Blues”
    Dave Brown – bass on “Soul Fever”
    Jack Casady – bass on “Plunk a Little Funk”, “String Jet Rock”, and “Every Time I Hear Her Name”
    John Cipollina – guitar on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”
    Bruce Conte – guitar on “Papa John’s Down Home Blues”
    Joey Covington – drums on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac” and “Soul Fever”, congas on “Plunk a Little Funk”
    Jerry Garcia – guitar on “Soul Fever”
    Mic Gillette – trombone on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”
    Bobby Haynes – bass on “Danny Boy” and “Human Spring”
    Art Hillery – piano on “Over the Rainbow” and “Human Spring”, organ on “Danny Boy”
    Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar on “String Jet Rock”
    Jorma Kaukonen – guitar on “Plunk a Little Funk”, “String Jet Rock”, and “Every Time I Hear Her Name”
    Mike Lipskin – organ on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”, piano on “St. Louis Blues”
    Stan Monteiro – clarinet on “St. Louis Blues”
    Skip Olsen – bass on “St. Louis Blues”
    Sammy Piazza – drums on “St. Louis Blues”, “Plunk a Little Funk”, “String Jet Rock”, and “Every Time I Hear Her Name”
    Douglas Rauch – bass on “Papa John’s Down Home Blues”
    Gregg Rolie – organ on “Soul Fever”
    Carlos Santana – guitar on “Papa John’s Down Home Blues”
    Peter Sears – bass on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”
    Grace Slick – vocals on “The Janitor Drives a Cadillac”
    Tony Smith – drums on “Papa John’s Down Home Blues”
    Bob Wilson – guitar on “St. Louis Blues”
    Los Angeles String Section – strings on “Over the Rainbow”
    Los Angeles Brass Section – brass on “Human Spring” and “Every Time I Hear Her Name”

  70. 70.

    trollhattan

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Ugh. Did he at any time while there in McMansion hell (dormer count!) inquire as to who released the canines?

    Willard pops up in any search of the word “stiff.” Dude’s about as flexible as a 3/4-inch Snap-on wrench.

  71. 71.

    New Deal democrat

    Contra Dana Houle, per a commenter on Mastodon this morning:

    ”If you are giving free content to Twitter, you are part of the problem.”

    I agree. All Musk has now are eyeballs on his site, that he wants to monetize. The more eyeballs you gift to him, the more $$$ he can charge advertisers. He is proud that his shitposting is driving up pageviews.

    When Houle, and Markos Moulitsas, and their like, and journalists, quit Twitter, that’s when Musk will lose. Not until then.

  74. 74.

    Leslie

    We’re heading down to celebrate Christmas a week early; the cousins who usually host are traveling this year. I hope you all have good rest of your Sunday.

  75. 75.

    Chetan Murthy

    @New Deal democrat: I have a Mastodon account, but barely follow anyone.  I’m waiting for Josh Marshall to concoct his curated list of Ukraine-related Mastodon follows; then I’ll just follow that and be done.

  76. 76.

    Tazj

    @NaijaGal: Thank you for the article. From what I had read, Mastodon seemed a little too complicated for me to consider but that article makes things clearer.

  77. 77.

    oatler

    @ian:

    I’m thinking of the 1972 movie version. It can probably be found on Youtube. I like the comedy (one plotline involves Adams and Franklin getting Jefferson laid so he’ll write The Constitution) and some of the music.

  81. 81.

    trollhattan

    @West of the Rockies: Finished the season. It has its payoffs but as these shows are, the narrative is not linear and certain, I’ll call them critical details are revealed in an odd order.

    There’s also a sequence that will have one thinking about the German aquarium failure.

    They get all the kudos for sound design, missing from many shows/films that really demand it, and of course the visuals are sumptuous.

    On that general topic just finished “The English” [Prime] which I found very good–and there’s Emily Blunt who can do no wrong fight me. The cinematography is exceptional–Terrance Malick-level gorgeous. As westerns are now, it’s not hours of singing to the herd to calm them down on account of “there’s a twister a-comin’ I can smell it.” Lots of bad people do a lot of bad things.

    Also, Emily Blunt.

  82. 82.

    West of the Rockies

    @Scout211:

    Sympathy and best wishes.   I had glass accidentally sling-shot into my eye when I was four.  Wore a patch from kindergarten through fifth (what inventive name-calling can that age group achieve!).

    I can see poorly out of the eye.  It’s a different color from “my good eye” but is sometimes lazy.  It’s a bit of ableist horse shit that it’s still okay to make fun of people with lazy eye.

  83. 83.

    Jay C

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR:

    And we will notice that, with the glaring exception of Truth Social, none of the biggest right-wing social-media sites are on the No-links list.

    And TS is probably on the list in error.

  85. 85.

    Eyeroller

    @Scout211: I get those injections because I have macular edema (not degeneration but somewhat similar symptoms) that is probably related to glaucoma and to my past glaucoma surgeries (I have an implant).  Another  possible complication of glaucoma surgeries, especially if there’s a tube, is corneal decompensation, which I also have.  I have three ophthalmologists for one eye.  Anyway best of luck to Mr. Scout.  I know how frustrating and frightening this kind of thing is.

  91. 91.

    WaterGirl

    @West of the Rockies: Several people have recommended that show, but as I learned more about it, I decided not to watch.

    I did just finish the movie State of Play on Netflix, and it’s only there until Dec 31.  Really good movie, just excellent.

  93. 93.

    MagdaInBlack

    Weather models are suggesting we are going to get a wee bit ( by that I mean a lot) of snow in Chicagoland Friday. Oh boy

    Eta: also much coldness.

  96. 96.

    NotMax

    Dripping and foggy outside.

    Was contemplating making chopped liver for Chanukah*, then realized I had bought a three-pack of the paté Costco stocks annually at holiday time. Not as good as homemade (what is?) but it’ll do.

    *all orthographic variations are correct

  100. 100.

    Betty Cracker

    @NaijaGal: Would it be possible to type your Mastodon handle on Notes or Word or something, screen shot it and then use the resulting image as the background for your Twitter page? That way, you’d have the info on Twitter without putting up searchable text Musk’s minions could use to zap your account. The downside is it wouldn’t be clickable.

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    @Cacti:  No, that’s only part of what matters.  If you want to get your point across in a meaningful way, don’t be a dick.

    Otherwise, the takeaway is that you’re a dick, and the content of what you were saying gets lost.

  103. 103.

    gwangung

    @oatler: As it happens, a friend of mine is in the all-female production of 1776 on Broadway and sings Rum to Molasses and brings the house down with it. (She also provoked a little controversy with her critiques of the artistic choices in the show while the show is still going…on the other hand, a lot of folks who’ve seen the show agree with her, so….)

  104. 104.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Amir Khalid:

    Trust me on this: the gridiron sport is not “real” football. 

    Haha.  Next you’ll tell me it’s wrong to call it the World Series. 😁

  105. 105.

    JoyceH

    @eclare: ​
    &nbsp

    I only saw the first two seasons, but that was a surprisingly thought-provoking show. Especially for network tv.

    Oh, you should definitely watch the third and final season. (For those who have lost the thread, we’re talking about The Good Place.) It was one of those rare shows where the ending is just entirely satisfying. I’ve already seen the show twice through and I could easily sit down and watch it all again.

  107. 107.

    Steeplejack

    @MagdaInBlack:

    Might get some here in the DMV, looks like. Still iffy at this point. Washington hasn’t had a “white Christmas”—an inch of snow on the ground Christmas morning (official definition, I have learned)—since 2009. But it will be much colder than usual.

  108. 108.

    eclare

    @JoyceH:   Thanks!  I think it’s on Netflix, and I plan to sign up for a month or so to catch the British Baking Show and a few other things.  I’ll add it to the list.

  109. 109.

    Scout211

    @Eyeroller: Oh, wow.  You’ve been through it, too. My husband has recently had glaucoma stents inserted and also the pulse laser surgery for glaucoma. I think we will be asking the ophthalmologist about the long term complications of those procedures when we see him next.

    Yikes! I’m sorry you have had such a rough road. But thanks for posting your story. It does help. 

  110. 110.

    Amir Khalid

    @Jay C:

    Truth Social might be on Twitter’s naughty list because TFG refused to come back to Twitter, even after Elon so graciously unbanned him.

  111. 111.

    Cacti

    @WaterGirl: Negative.  Ignorance isn’t a point of view.  No need to pretend it is.

    4 decades of pretending that it is, is how we ended up with President Trump.

  112. 112.

    Delk

    TIL that in September a drag queen story hour happened just down the street from me and no protests happened.

  114. 114.

    Ninedragonspot

    I have spent part of the morning working on recreating my Twitter feed in mastodon.   I’m not optimistic – folks outside the Anglosphere aren’t necessarily tuned in to the stuff Musk is up to.

  115. 115.

    Betty

    @Scout211: My husband had excellent results with those injections until Covid hit and he could no longer get them because of travel limitations. I hope your husband continues to see improvement.

  117. 117.

    trollhattan

    @mrmoshpotato: Interestingly, a century-old mistype of “Whirled”

    As always with the “soccer thing” if the English did not want it used to describe association football they should not have coined the word. In 1895.

  118. 118.

    different-church-lady

    @Cacti: ​
      I’m not sorry about that either.
    I am sorry you choose to be an asshole about. Sorry for you, that is.

  121. 121.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @bjacques: Why do I get the feeling Emo personally supervised the wording of that particular policy.

    Because it has all the signs of the  smartest man in the room, just ask him, came up with this. Emo never asked why was Twitter allowing cross posting to other social media sites, now he is going to find out the hard way.

  122. 122.

    different-church-lady

    See, here’s the thing: you can be right about something and be a dick about it. Or you can be right about something and not be a dick about it.

    Which one you go with is a choice. And I have no idea why anyone ever chooses the first one.

  126. 126.

    Scout211

    Linette Lopez, who is still suspended from Twitter because apparently her main beat is reporting on Elon, has a good “Elon business explainer” up on Business Insider.
    Title:

    Elon’s stale playbook
    At Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk was a jerk with a grand vision. At Twitter, he’s just a jerk.

  127. 127.

    trollhattan

    @Scout211: Spending all that money to “even scores” seems, unsmart.

    Guessing the other companies are happy he’s too busy to pester them.

  128. 128.

    Righteous Hazard

    Long time lurker checking in for the 2nd time in 15 years with the same lukewarm take as my first one: imo it is time to stop using links from birdsite for blog content, for any other reason than Ukraine news, or to ridicule the absurd apartheid manbaby who fiefdom’d the twitters.

    This is just my take, and I’ll continue checking this site several times a day one way or another. I generally avoid posts that consist of twitter links now, but I am not religious about it (yet) and think everyone here is great and will follow this site no matter what comes, because y’all are great.

    But the sooner we all move on from being Musks serfs, the better, imo

  130. 130.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    I refreshed my memory on the MHz website, and here are some of the series I recommend:

    ‣ Anatomy of Evil: Austrian psychiatrist consults with the police. Subtle and no clichés.

    ‣ Detective De Luca: Italian cop in the aftermath of World War II fascism.

    ‣ Bukow and König: Slightly prickly cop team. Subtext is the problems with integration of the former East Germany.

    ‣ Crime Scene Cleaner: Very short episodes, mordant and funny.

    ‣ Donna Leon’s Brunetti Mysteries: German-speaking Italians in Venice. Go figure.

    ‣ Blood of the Vine: Light mysteries featuring an oenologist and gorgeous scenery. I would call it cozy, except the characters are all slightly bitchy in that French way.

    ‣ Detectives. Stylish French inquiry agency.

    ‣ Nicolas Le Floch: Set in the 1760s. Policin’ for the king! Surprisingly good production values.

    ‣ Johan Falk Trilogy and Johan Falk (series): Tough Swedish cops.

    I was disappointed to see that some of the series I liked a lot 5-10 years ago have disappeared from the site.

  131. 131.

    Cacti

    @Scout211: Musk’s routine also worked for Tesla and SpaceX because there was a limited industry for electric vehicle engineers and rocket scientists.

    There are all sorts of tech industry jobs on the west coast offering better conditions than Twitter now.  He’s run just about everyone off but the H visa workers who have no choice but to stay.

  133. 133.

    Dangerman

    Interesting article on CNN yesterday on the prevalence and problems of debit card tipping at places like smoothie joints; I choose that example because I like both Jamba Juice (born in San LuisObispo!) and Juice It Up. Latter does the debit card tipping thing which kinda irks me when I don’t tip at Jamba because they don’t have the debit card tipping thingy (I card everything and never carry money). It bothered me yesterday more when I did the drive through at local taco joint where they don’t have the debit card tipping thingy like at the counter. Feels like I’m cheating Folks if I do drive through or don’t carry money.

    I wish there were known “rules” and they were consistent.

  134. 134.

    Ken

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR: @MattF: Three weeks from now, that policy document will have become a list of just a dozen permissible tweets, with the first one being “Congrats to (at)elonmusk for making Twitter the best social media site – He is truly a God-King!” Any tweet not conforming exactly to one of the listed messages will be rejected.

    The few hardcore programmers still employed (in the sense of working there, not of being paid) will be developing a simplified UI, very phone-friendly, where you just push one of the digits 0-9 or the # or * key to tweet one of the allowed messages.

  136. 136.

    Lapassionara

    @ian: IIRC, there have been some successful product/brand boycotts over the years. I think there was some heat put on Nestle for a while, and also some activity aimed at ending apartheid. I think it is harder in these fragmented times to rouse people to collective action. And trying to reduce your carbon footprint seems futile.

    I have no good answer for you, but I appreciate the thoughtful post.

  137. 137.

    Ken

    @Cacti: He’s run just about everyone off but the H visa workers who have no choice but to stay.

    Including all the HR people who have to fill out the quarterly paperwork that lets the H visa workers stay….

  138. 138.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Ken:

    The few hardcore programmers still employed

    I don’t have a Twitter account, but click-thru on UA tweets and Josh Marshall’s UA lists.  A few times a day.  And I’ve noticed that load times are getting slower.  Wonder what’s going on over there at Guano Depot Central ?

  139. 139.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Scout211: That’s pretty good article.

    My only comment is from personal experience I am pretty sure Musk’s fuck with the employees to keep them in line didn’t work with the Tesla because during my job search Tesla recruitors were constantly begging me to interview with Tesla.

  145. 145.

    ian

    @Lapassionara: Apartheid was certainly on my mind when I wrote that, I was also thinking of the divestment movement wrt Israel and how it seems to have fizzled.  I don’t know nearly enough to speak about either in great detail, but there must be some lesson as to why these movements work, how to get people involved and committed, and how to spread the message further.

  149. 149.

    gene108

    @New Deal democrat:

    I agree. All Musk has now are eyeballs on his site, that he wants to monetize. The more eyeballs you gift to him, the more $$$ he can charge advertisers. He is proud that his shitposting is driving up pageviews.

    When Houle, and Markos Moulitsas, and their like, and journalists, quit Twitter, that’s when Musk will lose. Not until then.

    I’m not really rooting for Twitter to fail.

    It’s better than anything out there at what it does. I learned a lot from different groups that post there.

  151. 151.

    topclimber

    @oatler: Sadly, 1776 is not so hot on the history sometimes. Little one: Ben talking about founding the first emancipation society, which was like 12 years later than the Declaration.

    Big one: Jefferson telling bad guy Rutledge that he was determined to free his slaves at death. Washington did that. Outside of Sally Hemings children (not his, surely!) old TJ did not. His will freed nobody, but not to worry: Thanks to his debt-heavy lifestyle, his 100+ salves were auctioned off to pay his creditors. What a guy!

    Dramatic license is one thing. Sugarcoating the more assholish features of the Founders is altogether different.

    ETA to retrieve disappearing line.

  153. 153.

    livewyre

    @Omnes Omnibus: Adding to that, one doesn’t have to say anything factually inaccurate in order to engage in abuse. Facts can be weaponized like anything else.

    Of course, that’s moot in this case, since citing racism as an attribute particular to a nationality isn’t exactly factual. More of a purposefully inflammatory interpretation. Whatever gets the job done.

  154. 154.

    zhena gogolia

    I don’t know why, but Coen Brothers movies always end up irritating me. (Maybe with the exception of O Brother Where Art Thou?) I started Burn After Reading, and I was just loving it, but they always do something nasty and gratuitous that turns me off.

    I wanted to watch Hail, Caesar! (I’m on a Clooney kick), but i’m afraid the same thing will happen.

    That said, the acting in Burn After Reading is so great.

  157. 157.

    eclare

    @zhena gogolia:   If you are on a Clooney kick, I highly recommend The Descendants.

    Also Out of Sight is very good with a great cast.  Lots of actors you would recognize.

  158. 158.

    Darkrose

    @trollhattan: There have been some other foggy days, but not as many as we usually have this time of year. I did have a fog tunnel commute a couple weeks ago, where everything on either side of the Causeway was just a blank void. It’s so eerie.

  161. 161.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @topclimber:  I visited Monticello over Thanksgiving. The tour is now very explicit about Jefferson’s treatment of slaves. I gather this raised some hackles among the descendants.

    I recall seeing the original production of 1776 and the running gag that stuck in my mind is “New York abstains,”  eventually followed by “have you ever been to a meeting of the New York state legislature?”  This got a big laugh in NYC.

  163. 163.

    Geminid

    @WaterGirl: Seems to me that’s a good day and time for the J6 Committee’s last session. It should get good coverage on the evening and morning news shows.

    The J6 Committee will also publish its Report soon, and that will make a lot of news when it drops, I think.

  167. 167.

    Steeplejack

    @eclare:

    Out of Sight is great! Taken (faithfully) from an Elmore Leonard novel, directed by the estimable Steven Soderbergh. A-list acting all around—including Jennifer Lopez, a bit surprisingly.

  168. 168.

    zhena gogolia

    @eclare: I’ve seen Out of Sight and loved it, but it’s too violent for me these days. The Descendants also sounds sad — I’m on a comic Clooney kick, or at least semi-comic, as in Up in the Air.

  170. 170.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m a little apprehensive about watching the final episode of The White Lotus tonight. Don’t tell me, anybody.

    The NYT has had about 60 spoilery articles about it, but I’ve managed to avert my eyes. Which isn’t easy when you read the paper paper.

  171. 171.

    CaseyL

    OK, here is something completely different: I’m boosting the signal for what sounds like an amazing opportunity for educators: the 2023 At Sea Communication Fellowship for Educators.

    A chance for ANY kind of educator, and particularly if those who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, LGBTQIA+, or a member of other historically marginalized voices in the deep sea and STEAM communities, to go to sea for a few weeks and then commit to at least one year afterward educating, mentoring, and engaging with their communities about what they learned and saw.

    Here is a link to the announcement and application.

    I know most if not all of us are on the far side of the age demographic for this, but if you are an educator of any kind, or know anyone who is, please let them know about this opportunity.

  172. 172.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Cacti:

    I’m confused. Are you trying to argue that Argentina is racist, that it is the only racist country, that it’s the most racist country, or that it’s racist and France is not? Or is it just a convenient tool for dismissing someone rooting for the opposite side in that sportsball game earlier?

    Argentina is racist.

    Argentina is not the only racist country.

    There are a lot of competitors for most racist. Argentina is in the running but I don’t think it’s got a clear lead.

    France? Not racist? Bwahahahahaha.

    As to the last – if this is true, then please stop.  There is no win to that path.

  173. 173.

    James E Powell

    @West of the Rockies:

    I enjoyed Peripheral more than almost everyone else I’ve talked with about it. It’s adapted/distilled from a larger more complex story.

    It’s not the kind of thing I usually like. Hope there is a second season.

  174. 174.

    Cacti

    @Kirk Spencer: I said that Argentina is the most racist country in South America, and that FIFA had been in the tank for getting the trophy into Messi’s hands.

    It really upset the hive mind.

  176. 176.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    I finally watched Ocean’s Eleven (2001) Friday night and thought it was pretty good. Another Clooney/​Soderbergh collaboration, although not all Clooney, because eleven. Also watched Ocean’s Twelve, not quite as good. Had that vibe of “We had so much fun making the first movie we decided to do a sequel, but we had such a good time we sort of neglected the actual making the movie part.” Still worth seeing. Going to watch Ocean’s Thirteen in the next day or two. A friend assures me it’s better than Twelve.

    They’re all streaming on TNT, TBS and Tru. Also available on cable if your system has TBS.

  177. 177.

    jackmac

    Sunday TV viewing on the Midwest tundra (current temp is 22) ranged from that riveting World Cup final followed by the 3-10 Chicago Bears (UGH) against the Philly Eagles.

  181. 181.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Cacti: Oh fuck right off.  And just to be clear, I supported France and noted that the French side was probably the most diverse in the tournament.  Also, that the team was largely made up of immigrants and refugee or their children.

  184. 184.

    livewyre

    @Kirk Spencer: Attributing a real effect (systemic racism) to a particular nationality (Argentina in this case) is an oversimplification of the problem, to put it charitably.

    For some reason I don’t get the impression that ameliorating systemic prejudice is on the docket. It is a pretty flashy and deniable way to make a lightning rod of oneself, though, if one happens to be so inclined. Note the insistence even after the topic moves on.

  186. 186.

    Qrop Non Sequitur

    @Cacti: Does it matter?

    FTR I’ve been posting since 2007 under a few names with a common theme. We’ve definitely interacted.

  189. 189.

    Cacti

    @livewyre: No need to overcomplicate it.  I said I don’t cheer for Argentina currently, and never will bc Argentina is racist AF.

    I also said that FIFA was in the tank for wanting Messi to lift the cup after a career of failure at it.

    Argentina has a very racist past and present, and FIFA is fantastically corrupt.  So, where’s the beef?

  195. 195.

    Qrop Non Sequitur

    @Cacti: No one is disagreeing with the substance of what you’re saying? Everybody knows that FIFA is corrupt and nations all over the world are racist.

    Perhaps bring this to a sports bar in real life, one full of Argentina fans. They may find it more edifying than we do here.

  200. 200.

    Burnspbesq

    @trollhattan:

    without too much fanfare, ophthalmology has made some great advances in recent times. Some conditions that were really, really bad not too long ago are now manageable.

  202. 202.

    Betty Cracker

    @NaijaGal: Glad you found a workaround! I’ve got my forwarding links in my Twitter bio, but I’m no longer using the account, so if they lock it for the violation, I won’t notice. I’m keeping the account in hopes that Musk goes away, though that doesn’t seem likely. I do miss Twitter.

  205. 205.

    Steeplejack

    @JML:

    Yes, it was a year after Selena and shortly before she got slotted into the Hollywood diva rom-com production line (The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan, Gigli, Jersey Girl, etc.).

  208. 208.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Cacti: Of the nations in South America I’ve visited, Guyana is where I saw the most overt racism.

    That’s a single data point, and it’s essentially anecdote. It’s also over 20 years old. But it’s personal experience, something you were rather insistent about when you were attacking another jackal.

    You may claim Argentina is the worst. But the records of both Guyana and Chile have me repeating – one of the worst, maybe, but part of a sadly large pack. As Livewyre noted you’re being rather flashy and deniable and don’t seem interested in resolving the issue, just using it to attack others. So to quote Omnes Omnibus, “Bored now.”

  209. 209.

    Michael Bersin

    A musician friend (string player) recounted the following:

    “…Today I visited a grocery store where a man was ‘playing’ the electric violin mic’d up on a speaker out in front. What was really happening was he was fake playing with a recording. For those who play a stringed instrument, it’s incredibly obvious when we see someone who doesn’t actually play the instrument.

    I confronted the man and told him how I really felt, with not so kind words perhaps. I then told the people watching around him to not give him money because he’s a scam artist and he’s not actually playing the violin. What happened next was shocking to me. People were getting upset with me for exposing him. Once the grocery store manager found out what he was up to, the scam artist quickly left. What I was left with was an angry crowd telling me I was wrong for what I did…”

    I’m thinking, “this is an actual thing?”

    I replied that I’d probably heckle the individual with requests. “Hey, play the ‘Devil’s Trill’ next, man.” “Play some Bach!” “Do Tchaikovsky in the original Russian.”

    The crowd reaction is not surprising. People will spend hundreds of dollars for tickets to a stadium concert just to watch their favorite artist aerobic dance and allegedly lipsynch to a recording.

    We live in a world following the rules of fake reality television.

  211. 211.

    raven

    Just keep interacting with this fucking asshole and he’ll stick around. He’ll just go away for a while if you ignore him.

  216. 216.

    Brachiator

    @topclimber:

    Big one: Jefferson telling bad guy Rutledge that he was determined to free his slaves at death. Washington did that.

    Washington’s will provided for the freedom of the enslaved people he owned, after his wife’s death. He could not, and did not free the enslaved people owned by his wife’s estate.

    Jefferson freed Sally Hemings’ children when they each reached age 21. This appeared to be the result of an agreement between Jefferson and Hemings.

    Washington was the only Southern Founder to free any of the people they held in slavery.

  223. 223.

    Geminid

    @prostratedragon: Hes just trying to rewrite history. There is a whole lot of blamecasting and fingerpointing now on the conservative side. It will probably get worse, or at least I’m hoping so.

  227. 227.

    Alison Rose

    So because one moronic little turd with no life and single-digit brain cells has a bug up his ass about something, apparently every thread on this blog is now for me going to turn into a dessert-laden circle jerk with him at the center. Terrific. Guess I won’t be here as much.

    For the love of God, you loathsome fuckbucket, at least stay the hell out of the Ukraine thread, if you can manage to dredge up one single shred of decency out of your completely worthless self.

    And no, I can’t see your comments, but go ahead and tell me again that I’m trash because I’ve never been to South America. All apologies for growing up lower middle class in a family that couldn’t afford to jet around the world, and for developing an illness in my 20s that slowly debilitated me more and more, leaving me unable to do many things including travel, and now being completely homebound in my 40s. Yes, I’m just an absolute monster for all of that. Scream it to your bigoted heart’s content. The pie pics give proof to what a fucking child you are.

  229. 229.

    NotMax

    Wowie zowie. Major thunderstorm with torrents of rain. Nearly deafening when booming directly overhead.

  230. 230.

    Brachiator

    @eclare:

    Also Out of Sight is very good with a great cast.  Lots of actors you would recognize.

    Out of Sight is fantastic. The Ocean films are fun. The 1999 black comedy Three Kings is quite good, as is, of course, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

  235. 235.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Alison Rose:

    I’ve never been to South America.

    Hell, I’ve never been to *Mexico* and I grew up in Texas.  Only been to Canada a few times for work, and *once* to Montreal  for a weekend trip …. 36 years ago.  I mean …. there’s no shame in not having traveled: if anything, the shame is the other way around, what with climate change.

  240. 240.

    Birdie

    @Cacti: I’m surprised. Given the way you have been carrying on I would have pegged you for a Musk supporter. Do you not see the similarity?

  241. 241.

    zhena gogolia

    @Alison Rose: Here ya go. I’ve never set foot in the United Kingdom, Ireland, or France. I’ve never been to Asia, Australia, Africa, or South America. Really just North America and Europe, mostly Eastern, and only because I had to.

    Believe me, I feel inadequate all the time in my academic milieu, as everyone constantly competes to talk about the cool places they’ve been — but I’m strangely indifferent. I hate traveling.

  242. 242.

    Professor Bigfoot

    I’m Black, and I have been to Argentina; and while he might be out of line, he ain’t wrong.

    That said, Buenos Aires might be the one most beautiful, romantic city I’ve ever seen. And the steaks are absolutely *killer.

  243. 243.

    NotMax

    @Steeplejack

    One nice feature on MHz is that if one scrolls down through the offerings far enough they list items not only by category or genre but by country of origin.

  245. 245.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    If someone takes a combination of facts and opinions and blasts them into someone else’s ear through a megaphone eleven inches away at 178 decibels, I respectfully submit that it doesn’t matter whether they’ve got their facts straight.

    I’ve dealt with lots of people, in lots of places, who expected me to take to heart whatever they were saying, even though they were screaming at me.

    I’ve developed a defense mechanism: when someone’s input to me crosses a certain threshold of loudness and shrillness, my brain simply stops processing the content of what they’re saying. The problem is exacerbated when people are screaming in a language that takes mental effort for me to translate and process.

    I’m glad this place has a pie filter to serve a similar purpose.

  246. 246.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Yeah, that’s how I refreshed my memory. E.g., I couldn’t remember the name of Anatomy of Evil, but I knew it was Austrian.

  248. 248.

    geg6

    @zhena gogolia:

    I second the suggestion of The Descendants.  It is a little sad but Clooney plays a middle aged guy with a lot going on in life so well.  There are comic moments and it is probably my favorite acting job ever by Clooney.

  249. 249.

    livewyre

    @Birdie: Less “support” and more “opportunity”, from what I can tell of habit. Whatever gets the loudest reaction, or cools off the audience until the next sting.

  254. 254.

    MrKite

    @West of the Rockies: the book was way  better.  Although I liked the cast, I found it hard to follow and overly talky and actiony, as you seem to find as well. Seems they think they need to turn everything into a muscular action film so people will watch these days. I just find that approach reductive and annoying. I had trouble finishing the first eight episodes,  and bailed on a couple in the middle.

  255. 255.

    PaulB

    @Alison Rose: So because one moronic little turd with no life and single-digit brain cells has a bug up his ass about something, apparently every thread on this blog is now for me going to turn into a dessert-laden circle jerk with him at the center.

    Don’t worry about it. He’s one of those people who stops by occasionally and infests a few threads, then moves on until the next time he’s got a bug up his ass. This won’t last.

    I checked a few random earlier threads of his and the pattern is always the same. Lots of hyperbole, lots of ad hominem, lots of evasions, moving the goalposts, ignoring inconvenient facts, and, inevitably, lots of pie.

    One of two things will happen now: either he’ll move on, as he has always done in the past, or he’ll change his pattern and continue to be so obnoxious that the site administrators will eventually take notice and get rid of him. Either way, there’s no reason for you to leave.

  256. 256.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Steeplejack: ​
     

    Might get some here in the DMV

    Tell the people at the DMV that if they keep the windows shut, there won’t be any snow in the DMV!

  257. 257.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @zhena gogolia: I can’t really remember if it’s violent or not, but I saw Three Kings, about the Gulf War, after the launch of the Iraq War, which gave it greater resonance, as I recall (after I guess about twenty years). I also second everybody who mentioned Out of Sight. Also I like Hail Cesar but I’m a pretty good audience for the Cohen bros in general

  258. 258.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, … PetaPixel.com:

    After hyping a major announcement, [TFG] revealed his next major project: NFTs. But reverse image searches of some of the “digital trading cards” revealed them to be edits of clothing easily found in Google search, raising copyright questions.

    […]

    The situation continues to be strange the more it is investigated. NFT INT LLC lists its address in a strip mall in Utah that contains a few restaurants, a dry cleaners, and a UPS Store. The Salt Lake Tribune dug into this strange situation in a detailed feature, for those interested in seeing how deep this rabbit hole goes.

    Oooh, I know, I know!!

    As Madam Speaker said, “All roads with you lead to Putin”.

    Grrr…,
    Scott.

  261. 261.

    2liberal

    @Bruce K in ATH-GR:  The Starlink Snowflake has now banned users of Twitter from posting about whether they have alternate social media accounts on Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, et cetera. The announcement starts off with the sanctimonious statement that “Twitter is where the conversation is happening.

     

    Musk isn’t blocking links to Parler or Gettr or other fascist social media.

  265. 265.

    PaulB

    I just wish more of our commenters here would learn not to engage with assholes like that. From the very first post on the thread, it was clear that he wanted a flame war. And that his hyperbolic assertions were not based on anything resembling actual measurable data.

    When someone like that comes along, there is only one thing to do: pie him and ignore him. Insert adage about mud-wrestling and pigs here.

  267. 267.

    Geminid

    @zhena gogolia: This is the DMV denoting the DC metropolitan area including Maryland and Virginia. It’s used by the media now, much like “Chicagoland” is used for the greater Chicago area. “DMV” does not sound as neat as “Chicagoland” though.

  275. 275.

    Another Scott

    @zhena gogolia: It (“DMV”) seems very commonly used on WPGC (the local Hip Hop and R&B station based out of Prince George’s County in Maryland).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  279. 279.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    It’s not the Delmarva peninsula. It’s a pseudo-hipster media shorthand to refer to the D.C. metroplex—D.C., close-in Maryland suburbs and NoVA.

  280. 280.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Alison Rose: see my comment at 153 of the last thread.

    Cacti is a miserable dick . You didn’t deserve their crap.

    @PaulB: exactly  MO—they remind me a relative  I once had who could t stand to see  people having fun and enjoying themselves so  she’d make some embarrassing. Mean spirited comment to you to make you feel stupid.

  284. 284.

    Another Scott

    A reminder that space is a dangerous place… Phys.org:

    The crew of the International Space Station on Sunday was inspecting an attached Russian space capsule that may have been damaged by a micrometeorite, while ground controllers considered whether to send up a replacement spaceship to ferry some of them home.

    Russia’s space corporation, Roscosmos, said the crew was using a camera on a Canadian-built robotic arm to capture images of the Soyuz MS-22 where a coolant leak was detected last Wednesday night, U.S. time. After the images are transmitted to the ground on Monday, space officials will analyze them—along with other data about the problem—by month’s end and decide on next steps.

    One option, Roscomos said, is to expedite the delivery of another Soyuz capsule to the space station. Workers at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan are preparing to launch Soyuz MS-23 to the space station next March with three crew members but could send it up sooner without a crew. That would allow some of the seven crew now on the space station to return home.

    A Russian space official said last Thursday a micrometeorite could have caused the leak. Roscosmos said the damage was to the outer skin of an instrument and equipment compartment.

    Roscosmos and NASA both say the problem doesn’t pose any danger to the crew. The leak prompted a pair of Russian cosmonauts to abort a planned spacewalk last Wednesday. An American spacewalk is planned next Wednesday.

    […]

    More at the link.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  285. 285.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    and now, because I guess the writers are coked up like they’re Belushi and Ackroyd in ’77, Mrs Musk has weighed in to tell everyone to stop picking on her boy Emo.

    Maye Musk @mayemusk
    This makes absolute sense. When I give a talk for a corporation, I don’t promote other corporations. If I did, I would be fired on the spot and never booked again. Is that hard to understand?

    Josh Marshall @joshtpm 58m
    Lol Anthony’s mom says it’s real good the new policy anthony made. real good

    If anyone else watched Veep, I’m getting a billionaire Jonah Ryan vibe from Emo. MOM! would you stop embarrassing me and go make banana pancakes?

  286. 286.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    It’s a relatively recent coinage. And, by the way you talk about him, your husband sounds like he’s even more of an elderly shut-in than the median here. 😹

  288. 288.

    Ken

    @Geminid: “DMV” does not sound as neat as “Chicagoland” though.

    Well, sure, DMV sounds like is the driver’s license office, Chicagoland sounds like an amusement park.

    (Though both are famous for making you wait in long lines before you get your ride.)

  289. 289.

    PaulB

    @Professor Bigfoot:  I’m Black, and I have been to Argentina; and while he might be out of line, he ain’t wrong.

    Yes, he really is wrong. He didn’t just say something like, “Argentina has its share of racists” or that “Racism is a problem in Argentina.” He insisted that it was “the most racist country in South America.” That is an indefensible statement, as the data aren’t there to show that, which is why he didn’t even try.

    First, you have to come up with a definition and model for just how you’re defining the term and how you’re measuring the level of racism across the entire country, then you have to come up with the comparable data from all South American countries to show that Argentina is at the top of the list. That is difficult to do, which is why a quick Google search shows that various studies have picked varying countries to place at the top of their respective lists.

    According to an article in Wikipedia, for example, a Swedish study found that Venezuela was the most racist country in the Americas. Another site found that Ecuador was at the top of the list.

    So, is racism a problem in Argentina? Absolutely, which is why there is a separate Wikipedia article devoted to that topic. [A few other South American countries also have their own dedicated racism pages.] Is it uniquely awful, demonstrably and measurably worse than any of its neighbors? Our dear little friend continues to be unable to make the case to support that assertion.

    And with that, I’m done, as that particular poster isn’t worth even the few minutes I’ve spent on my posts in this thread. Time to take my own advice and bow out. Cheers, everyone, and may your Christmases be asshole-free.

  290. 290.

    NotMax

    Flood warnings! Rain falling between 1 and 2 inches per hour until 3 p.m. HST according to the most recent message.

  299. 299.

    Dan B

    @NotMax: Hang in there!  Although I seem to recall a picture of your place with your new truck.  Is it on a gentle slope?  Any remnant drainage basin / washes?

  301. 301.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    Delmarva is over 50 miles east of D.C. It’s the big peninsula that the southern tip of New Jersey points to. Portions of it belong to Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Kind of a cool place that I would like to explore more.

    My brother is taking his kids to Chincoteague (VA) tomorrow for a couple of days to see the wild horses and keep the kids occupied as they start their Christmas break. They get cabin fever in about 45 minutes unless something is afoot.

    And of course Rehoboth Beach is also on the Delmarva peninsula.

    I have a crackpot theory that you could make the case that Delmarva is actually an island, because there is a small waterway (creek/​canal combo, apparently) that cuts across the top end on a line from Chesapeake City through St. Georges and separates it from the “mainland.” Haven’t yet found a suitably nutty venue in which to promote this theory. And I need to visit the area to confirm my map-based findings.

    @zhena gogolia:

    I was kidding, of course. You talk about him in the good-natured way that Kay talks about her youngest kid, especially when he was in high school.,

  302. 302.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Mr. Bemused Senior: ​
     

    The [Monticello] tour is now very explicit about Jefferson’s treatment of slaves. I gather this raised some hackles among the [white] descendants.

    Hope you don’t mind the fix.

  308. 308.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Geminid: ​
     

    This is the DMV denoting the DC metropolitan area including Maryland and Virginia. It’s used by the media now, much like “Chicagoland” is used for the greater Chicago area. “DMV” does not sound as neat as “Chicagoland” though.

    Not to mention, in many if not most jurisdictions (including two out of three in the ‘DMV’), the DMV stands for Department/Division of Motor Vehicles. So the ‘DMV’ contains two separate DMVs plus an MVA.

    The part I don’t get is, it isn’t that hard to say or type “DC area.” This wasn’t a problem crying out for a solution.

  309. 309.

    kalakal

    @Steeplejack:

    Out of Sight is great! Taken (faithfully) from an Elmore Leonard novel

    Yes to both parts. It’s always been a sorrow to me how poor so many film adaptions of Leonard’s books are. I love his books. Good plots, great characterization, his dialogue is terrific, and he started out as a screenwriter, they really out to very filmable.

    Out of Sight, Hombre, and Cat Chaser  are the ones I think they did a really good job. Please do not mention Mr. Majestyk

  312. 312.

    kalakal

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    When I give a talk for a corporation, I don’t promote other corporations. If I did, I would be fired on the spot and never booked again. Is that hard to understand?

    I wasn’t aware that Twitter employed its users.

    What I find hard to understand is how someone can be so stupid and yet so convinced they’re intelligent. Seems to be hereditary in the Musk family

  313. 313.

    Steeplejack

    @kalakal:

    I think a great job was done on Get Shorty, too. Possibly apocryphal story: John Travolta signed on because he liked the novel. Then, after he read the first, complete bullshit script, he used his star clout to force a rewrite that actually followed the plot and dialogue in the novel. Crazy, I know.

  317. 317.

    Geminid

    @lowtechcyclist: Such things are often driven by commerce and advertising. That’s booming area and the Maryland and Virginia components are the larger markets. Advertisers may like pitching their goods to Marylanders and Virginians as much or more than to DC residents.

  322. 322.

    Steeplejack

    @zhena gogolia:

    Huh. Wikipedia says that Alfred Hitchcock had the rights to Unknown Man #89, but the project was left in limbo after he died.

    And I just remembered that I forgot Jackie Brown. That was another good adaptation of a Leonard book.

  326. 326.

    Ruckus

    @eclare:

    It is also a product that isn’t worth the cost. He knows what he’s selling, he knows that if he raised the cost a nickel per pie, he’d go out of business. And he has no intent to make a better pie because that might cost him something more than one cent per pie so, no deal.

    I find that when I know a company is not worth buying from for one reason or another, I have choice on my side. And I make that choice.

  329. 329.

    Ruckus

    @zhena gogolia:

    I traveled a lot in the navy in Europe and enjoyed most of it, I’ve even been to Cuba, I had a job in professional sports where I traveled all around the country (46 states) and I live about 25 miles from where I was born a rather long time ago. My travels were great but living where I want is better. I think that the thing my traveling taught me was to find a place that I wanted to live and I have.

  331. 331.

    StringOnAStick

    @Ruckus: For you, it’s not the lactose, it’s specific proteins in cow’s milk and products based on it.  Lactose is a sugar, one you were likely able to tolerate as a baby, at least for awhile.  We are born with an attraction to sugar, so lactose helps promote nursing.  I’m sure you’ve tried the lactose enzyme tablets and they have you no relief; I just evolved into this state too.  Sugars are simple molecules, especially when compared to proteins.

    Proteins are incredibly complex and large molecules that your body must cleave into smaller and smaller pieces in order to make use of them for building the molecules needed for life processes.  Specific allergies are often due to repeated exposure to specific proteins; I get desperate dermatitis when my skin touches those common landscape junipers (serious steroids required), but native juniper trees have no effect; the pollen is just different enough.

    It is not uncommon to become allergic to cow’s milk as we get older.  I think mine is due to two rounds of IV antibiotics when getting my knees replaced just knocking the crap out of my digestive microbiome, because my gut was “off” from that point on.  I’m working with a functional medicine practice and after weeks of a very strict elimination diet, the only thing I react to is dairy.  It spikes my cholesterol anyway, so no great loss.  I’m hoping I can have feta again since that’s goats milk, but the freedom from cramping all night and a wicked return to constant migraines that completely stopped once cow’s milk was out of my diet makes being dairy free completely worth it.

  333. 333.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @Dan B: If your intolerance is limited to cow’s milk, then you’d want tyropita made with feta cheese, which comes from sheep and/or goats. That’s the traditional cheese in Greek cheese pies, anyway.

  334. 334.

    Ruckus

    @StringOnAStick:

    I became allergic to milk, or more specifically cows milk as I said 40 + yrs ago. So over 1/2 my lifetime ago. And yes when I say allergic, I mean it really, really did not get along with me or me it. A few years ago I found almond milk and then just recently I’ve switched to oat milk. I like it better than the almond. Tastes more like the real thing, with zero bad effects. And I’d bet you are correct in the possible cause being protein, considering the effects of even a small amount. It was a short time span between drinking cows milk being fine and then it being the exact opposite – nothing like fine in the least

    The migraines might not have anything to do with milk – or they might. But I have been stuck with migraines for decades and yes they started when I drank cows milk but they are still with me but far less with MgOxide and vitamin B2 that I take daily. So given no cows milk for decades I can’t use that excuse.

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